Service Dog Sunday: Autism Service Dogs of America

Lauren and John have been discussing getting an Autism Service Dog for Mareto. This discussion began with his connection to Toby. (Toby is a Therapy Dog but not a Service Dog. To learn more about the difference, please visit Sugar the Golden Retriever's infographics on the topic). During a recent therapy session Mareto's therapist strongly advised Lauren to look into getting him a service dog. She felt it would help him cope with his anxiety, sleep better, improve his social skills, and help him safely engage with the world as he develops.

One of the organizations that helps connect autistic children and their families with service dogs is Autism Service Dogs of America. Founded in 2002 by Priscilla Taylor, a special education teacher, ASDA raises and trains mostly Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, Goldendoodles, and Labradoodles. They get their puppies from several reputable breeders and from Project 2 Heal.

While visiting their website I discovered that Jersey,  one of their Golden puppies, had emergency surgery last week. ASDA is accepting donations to help pay for Jersey's surgery. You can click here to help out or help spread the word about Jersey and/or ASDA.

Here's Jersey: A future Autism Service Dog who needs a little Power of the Paw!
Photo is from the ASDA website.

ASDA's mission:

When a child connects to a dog,

 they connect to the world. 

Our mission is 

to make a positive impact on the lives of children

living with autism 

by providing exceptionally well trained service dogs.

A boy tethered to his Service Dog. Photo is from the ASDA website.

 Each family is asked to provide $13,500 to ASDA before their child can be placed on the waiting list, although ASDA estimate their cost to breed, socialize, raise, train, and place a dog at $20,000. The difference is made up by grants and donations from the public. 

If you'd like to learn more about Autism Service Dogs or would like to help them provide a dog to an autistic child, please visit the ASDA website by clicking here. 

One testimonial:

“Milo has made more progress with Chad than anyone ever 

thought was even imaginable. He’s much calmer. He can 

concentrate for much longer periods of time. It’s almost like a

 cloud has lifted and the sun is shining.” 

–Claire V.

Whether Mareto ever gets a service dog, I applaud this organization for the difference they are making in the lives of children with autism.

September is National Service Dog month. I am participating in the Service Dog Sunday blog hop.